Simington Calls for English-Only FCC Proceedings After White House Order
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington wants his colleagues to speak only English during FCC proceedings in the wake of a White House executive order declaring it as the U.S.’s official language, he said in a post on X Monday. The post seemed aimed at fellow FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who sometimes reads a Spanish version of her meeting statements. During last week’s FCC open meeting, Simington -- who was born and raised in Canada -- read out one of his statements in Romanian, seeming to mock Gomez.
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“In line with this order, I will speak only English during official FCC proceedings and encourage my colleagues to do the same,” Simington wrote in the post Monday. “As an immigrant, I had to assimilate. Learning English is key to assimilation, and I recommend all immigrants do the same.”
The White House’s executive order declares English as the official language but contains few explicit policy directives. “Nothing in this order” requires or “directs any change in the services provided by any agency,” it said, though it revokes an order from 2000 that requires agencies to provide services to those with limited English proficiency. “Agency heads should make decisions as they deem necessary to fulfill their respective agencies’ mission and efficiently provide Government services to the American people,” the new order said.
Gomez’s office declined to comment on Simington’s post but clarified that Gomez reads a Spanish version of her meeting statements only for items that are consumer-facing. At last week’s meeting, Gomez read in Spanish her statement on an FCC item concerning wireless emergency alerts. Simington’s comments in Romanian were on an item concerning 3.7 GHz spectrum. During the meeting, Gomez appeared to take Simington’s language switch as a jab, if a good-natured one. “That was super cool,” Gomez responded. “As we would say in Spanish, 'Y tu mama, tambien.’” The phrase translates to “and your mom, too” and is generally used as a playful insult. Simington’s office didn’t respond to questions about whether his Romanian comments were intentionally timed to coincide with the executive order.
"I guess I don't disagree with Simington that as an immigrant, it's a good idea" to learn English, emailed Fletcher Heald broadcast attorney Frank Montero, who represents several Spanish-language broadcasters. "If he only wants to speak English at Commission meetings, that certainly is his prerogative," Montero said. "More important would be if, as in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, the FCC had few people at the agency who could speak or read Spanish," Montero said. "It's hard to regulate an industry with over 1,000 Spanish language stations (over 100 of which are in Puerto Rico alone) when no one speaks Spanish."
Public interest officials appeared concerned about the implications of Simington’s post Monday. “And, of course, you defend the right of your colleagues to speak in another language, if they feel differently, right?” said Public Knowledge CEO Christopher Lewis in a reply to Simington. “You know, freedom of speech and all that stuff.” Free Press co-CEO Jessica Gonzalez called Simington’s post and the order “tonteria” -- nonsense -- and said the government's job “is to serve the people regardless of language or ethnicity. This is a racist dereliction of duty.” Public Knowledge Senior Vice President Harold Feld posted that the FCC has a “responsibility to bring communications to ‘ALL Americans, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, NATIONAL ORIGIN, or sex.’” The National Hispanic Media Coalition didn’t comment.